New Releases by Rebecca L. Johnson

Have you ever wondered what mysteries the ocean holds? Prepare to explore the ocean from sunlit shallows to the deepest, darkest depths. Along the way, you'll meet many incredible creatures that are brand new to science. Dive to a coral reef and spot a new species of pygmy octopus. Travel deeper and discover fragile, nearly transparent jellies as they drift past. Then head down into a world of eternal night. You'll encounter animals that make their own light and zombie worms that feast on the bones of dead whales. Your adventure is based on the real journeys of scientists involved in the Census of Marine Life. From 2000 to 2010, more than two thousand researchers from eighty-two countries carried out the most extensive investigation of ocean life ever attempted. Author Rebecca L. Johnson takes readers to research sites around the globe, showing how ocean scientists do their work. Stunning photographs throughout bring readers face-to-face with some of the most mesmerizing creatures on Earth.

An immersive, high-interest approach to the highly curricular topic of biomes

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! Take a walk in the rain forest. It's hot and humid and humming with life. Look up into the dense canopy of leaves above you. Tangled vines lead to the treetops, where parrots squawk and monkeys swing from branch to branch. A poison dart frog clings to a slippery leaf. A sloth creeps through the canopy. The dense rain forest overflows with life. Discover the plants and animals that depend on each other in this unique biome through narrative text, entrancing photos, and illustrations.

Take a walk in the tundra. In this cold, harsh biome at the top of the world, summer is short. Carpets of wildflowers and grasses bloom in the bright sunlight. An arctic fox pup catches sight of a lemming. The fox pup pounces . . . . The closer you look, the more life you see. Mosses, grasses, and wildflowers grow in the thin soil. Animals from bees to bears depend on the life growing in this chilly habitat Learn about this windy landscape though narrative text, crisp photos, and illustrations.

Take a walk in the deciduous forest. Sunlight filters through new green leaves. It's early summer, and squirrels are chattering in the treetops. A warbler calls out. She's building a nest in an oak tree. A fox crouches behind a stump. Will he find a fat mouse for his next meal? Or will he go searching for berries? Discover this critical forest habitat through narrative text, striking photos, and illustations.

Take a walk in the desert. It's hot and dry―and full of life. An elf owl peers out at you from its home, a hole in a saguaro cactus. Nearby, a desert tortoise stretches its neck to nibble on a wildflower. From the thick green stems of cacti to fluffy jackrabbits, the desert is teeming with life. Narrative text and you-are-there photos put the reader in the middle of this misunderstood biome and critical habitat. The interdependence of plant and animal species comes alive in these immersive looks at North American biomes. Descriptive text engages the senses as it takes readers through each habitat. Scientifically accurate illustrations and striking photos add to the you-are-there approach.

Take a walk in the prairie. This land of all grass and open sky is full of life. You can hear the warbling song of a meadowlark. At your feet, a grasshopper munches on a flower stem. How do the plants and animals of the prairie depend on one another for survival? Through narrative text, striking photos, and illustrations, discover a world of tall grasses and wildflowers that creatures from butterflies to badgers call home.

"The tundra is a windy and cold landscape. But the closer you look, the more life you see. Mosses, grasses, and wildflowers grow in the thin soil. Animals from bees to bears depend on the life growing in this chilly habitat"--

The octopus spies a nice, tasty mantis shrimp. It swims over for a closer look at the small creature. Then—WHAM!—the mantis shrimp strikes a nasty blow with its hammer-like forelimb. The octopus shrinks back, defeated. That wasn't such an easy meal after all . . . In nature, good defenses can mean the difference between surviving a predator's attack and becoming its lunch. Some animals rely on sharp teeth and claws or camouflage. But that's only the beginning. Meet creatures with some of the strangest defenses known to science. How strange? Hagfish that can instantaneously produce oodles of gooey, slippery slime; frogs that poke their own toe bones through their skin to create claws; young birds that shoot streams of stinking poop; and more.

Are zombies real? As far as we know, dead people do not come back to life and start walking around, looking for trouble. But there are things that can take over the bodies and brains of innocent creatures, turning them into senseless slaves. Meet nature's zombie makers—including a fly-enslaving fungus, a suicide worm, and a cockroach-taming wasp—and their victims.

If a black dog and a white dog have puppies, what color will the puppies be? Genetic scientists have been trying to answer this question for hundreds of years. Genetics is the science of heredity—how traits are passed from parents to offspring. One of the first breakthroughs came from Gregor Mendel, a nineteenth-century monk who spent eight years breeding thousands of pea plants. Pea plants might seem pretty different from dogs, but on a microscopic level, they have a surprising amount in common. Genetic pioneers of the twentieth century unlocked the secrets of DNA, the molecule that holds heredity information for all life-forms. Thjis book tells the story of how scientists cracked the code of life and revolutionized molecular biology.

In the 1880s, science witnessed a major shift: Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. People dug up the first dinosaur fossils. And the field of paleontology—the study of ancient plants and animals—emerged. Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope became enthralled with these new ideas, discoveries, and developments. Both were determined to become world-famous paleontologists. When they met in 1863, they started off as friends. But within a few years, competition drove the men apart. Each fought bitterly to discover more fossils, name more species, and publish more papers than the other. In their haste to outdo each other, they both produced some shoddy work. The resulting confusion took many years to discover and correct, and their toxic relationship crippled the field of paleontology for decades afterward. However, the competition also produced a wealth of fossils. These laid a firm foundation for the field of paleontology and supported Darwin's theory of evolution. Marsh's and Cope's discoveries generated keen public interest in prehistoric life and rich data for future generations of paleontologists. This book explores the great rivalry between Marsh and Cope, showing how it brought out the best and the worst in them—while bringing humankind a brand-new view of life on Earth.

A resource organized by body system lists the key herbal remedies available, their uses, and cautionary advice, in a book that includes full-color photos, a glossary and several thematic indexes.

Ice and water are both the same kind of matter, but, when water becomes ice, it can be transformed into art!

Follow a number of scientific investigations looking for the causes of climate change.

DNA.

An illustrated compendium of information on plants and their diverse therapeutic properties and benefits brings together folklore, scientific research, and medical theory to describe hundreds of plants and their origins.--

6 PACK, PART OF MICROQUESTS SET

Explains what plant cells are, how they were discovered, their components, how they divide, different kinds, and what they do.

Tells the story of how scientists unlocked the secrets of the atom and revolutionized the way we look at the world around us.

Machines make work easier to do.

"Four students travel to dry, icy Antarctica to study the AdeÌ1lie penguins. They use all they have learned to make an important rescue by themselves"--Publisher's website

Facts and stories that explain the relationship between animals and the environment and recognize the contributions scientists make in understanding changes to the environment.

"A content-based fiction book--Science"--Cover, p. 1.

Learn about discovering shipwrecks, treasure and artifacts. Identify technology used to explore the oceans.

The reader follows scientists as they travel to the ocean floor, visit an underground cave, and peer into the world of noctural animals. Describes tools and techniques scientists use to gather information. Explains how a hydrothermal vent can support life. Describes some of the challenges scientists face in exploring underground environments. Explains how animals adapt to a nocturnal environment.